Obama close to START, GOP senator says

President Obama appears to be getting closer and closer to the Senate votes he needs to ratify an arms cut deal with Russia.

"We're on the threshold," said Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., a prominent Republican backer of the proposed New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, speaking on CNN's State of the Union.

Lugar, the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he believes "the votes are there" to ratify START if the lame duck Senate takes up the Senate before the end of the year.

Assuming all 58 members of the Senate Democratic caucus vote for the treaty, Obama needs nine Republicans, many of whom have questioned whether the START treaty will restrict U.S. missile defense efforts. Some Republicans have also demanded that the U.S. modernize its own reduced nuclear arsenal as a condition for ratification.

The Obama administration has developed a new plan for nuclear modernization, and the president says the treaty will not affect American missile defense.

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About David Jackson

David's journalism career spans three decades, including coverage of five presidential elections, the Oklahoma City bombing, the 2000 Florida presidential recount and the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He has covered the White House for USA TODAY since 2005. His interests include history, politics, books, movies and college football -- not necessarily in that order. More about David